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Register for the 2015 North American Championship

Houston Yacht Club and J/22 Fleet 6 invite you to the 2015 J/22 North American Championship from September 30-October 4. On upper Galveston Bay in Shoreacres, Texas, Houston Yacht Club's historic clubhouse and warm, friendly atmosphere provide a great place to have fun on and off the water. The harbor, open to the bay, makes for quick access to the race area and has ample slips, launching and trailer facilities. Part of an active sailing community, HYC has a proud tradition of excellence in race management and has twice been awarded the prestigious St. Petersburg Trophy.

Local Knowledge: Warm and breezy throughout the fall, conditions average 10-15 knots with temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s and short chop of 1-3 feet, unless, of course a northerly front arrives.

Schedule: Registration begins on Wednesday with a practice race on Thursday afternoon. Race days are Friday through Sunday. Always see the NOR for official schedule details.

Logistics: Houston Yacht Club, in the small bay area community of Shoreacres, Texas, is about a 35-minute drive from downtown Houston. A wide range of options are available for lodging and provisioning in the greater Clear Lake, Seabrook and LaPorte areas. At the club, regatta logistics are made easy. Two 2-ton capable crane hoists and ample parking give plenty of space to get ready for racing. Ice machines, bath houses in the main clubhouse and along the jetties, and plenty of tie-up space along the 400 ft. guest dock and in guest slips make for a hassle-free regatta. The harbor opens directly to Galveston Bay for a quick and easy sail to the race course. The historic clubhouse offers full service dining, a friendly bar, and ample space to unwind off the water. Guest rooms are available on the third floor by contacting the club office directly.

For complete regatta information and to register, visit www.j22na.com.

USA’s Christopher Doyle Grabs His First World Championship Title in the J/22 Class

The World Championship decider of the J/22 Class was the focus of the eighth day of sailing at the 126th Travemuender Woche. And the crews of the sporty keelboat class apparently knew what they owed the spectators watching the live broadcast in the SAP Sail Cube. They delivered a spectacular final, resulting in celebrations for the Americans in the end. Christopher Doyle snatched the almost certain title from the Dutch team of Jean-Michel Lautier in the last race of the J/22 Marinepool Worlds. And the bronze medal was snatched away from Martin Menzner from Kiel by Reiner Brockerhoff from Duisburg. At the start of the day, the previous order of the J/22 World Championship seemed to be cemented. Doyle and Lautier achieved their worst results in the total of 13 races and, after a day win, Menzner established a narrow lead ahead of Brockerhoff, who came in third in the race. Thus, the three leading crews could have sailed to protect their positions in the final race. But it turned out differently. Brockerhoff slipped away after the start to the left side of the course, was first to find the right wind and pushed into second place. Menzner and Doyle settled into the midfield. Nevertheless, the American suddenly had his hand on gold since Lautier found himself at the very end of the fleet again. The reason for this: in the style of a match racer, Doyle had prevented the direct rivals for gold to a good start. "We knew that it did not matter which place we sailed into. We therefore had to ensure that Lautier did not sail into the front of the field," Doyle explained of the victory tactics. And he could let the reins loose after the position at the first marker; he sailed into tenth place and celebrated his first World Championship gold in his 20-year career in the J/22 Class. "It really feels great. The key to victory was having a good boat and a strong team," Doyle said, praising his crew Philip Wehrheim and Christopher Stressing and thanking Dirk Plewnia-Glanzmann (SC Rheingau), from whom he had chartered the boat. When he was on the dock, Doyle jumped ashore, hugged his wife and daughter and then looked forward to a "few good German beers" in the evening. Menzner still managed to come in eleventh place in the final race. But it was not enough for the bronze medal as Brockerhoff crossed the finish line as the winner. "We are happy to have made it onto the podium because we only started out with a finish in 21st place and have steadily worked our way up. Having now reached third place is the icing on the cake," Brickerhoff said. Forty-four J/22s competed, representing six nations (Canada, Cayman Islands, France, Germany, Netherlands, USA). Fourteen races took place, and complete regatta information may be found at http://www.j22worlds2015.blogspot.de/.

Cleveland Race Week

At the 35th edition of Cleveland Race Week hosted by Edgewater Yacht Club, 14 J/22s competed in "One Design Weekend" from June 13-14. Six light air races were completed, half of which were won by Vic Snyder and his Mo' Money team from Youngstown, NY. Adding in two seconds and a sixth gave them 13 points for the series, 12 ahead of local Tod Sackett on Traction. Also from Youngstown, NY in third was Chris Doyle on The Jug 4 1 with 27 points. Photos are available on the Cleveland Race Week Facebook page, and complete results are posted at www.clevelandraceweek.com.

CanAm Challenge

Written by Chris Howell

Sunday, 29 March 2015 20:43

At the CanAm Challenge at Youngstown Yacht Club in New York from July 25-26, Victor Snyder's Mo' Money took the victory in the 11-boat J/22 fleet. Posting a 1,1,2,2,1,5,2 for 14 points, Mo' Money handily beat Paul Davignon's Three's Company (21 points) and Trevor Collins' Alternative Girlfriend (25 points), who rounded out the top three. Seven races were completed. Full results are available by clicking here.